Reflection

I was inspired by dreams and life experiences to write many of my pieces. "Amazon" was inspired by my lifetime dream to go to Brazil. We have family friends in Brazil, and I have always had a natural interest in the area. I was inspired to write "Fear" from a personal experience that happened this semester. "Wisdom" was based on the descriptions of many characters I have imagined and read from stories. It was intended to frame the archetypal "wise old man." This poem helped me to become more focused on imagery in my writing and taught me the importance of doctoring archetypes to give readers a sense of familiarity with the character. "Strength" was based on the memory of a family member who passed away a few years ago; and writing about this particular characteristic of them, helped me to cope with their death. My villanelle, "The Sun Sets on Another Day" was written during a time of change in my life that produced some feelings of vulnerability and gave me the feeling that something was ending in my life that I didn't want to. The night in this poem symbolized my fear of the uncertainty ahead and my incapability of handling the thought of not being in control.
Many of the first drafts I wrote this nine weeks were in need of serious revision. Thanks to my partners: John, Brianna, Anna Dione, Kristy, and Anna James; I was able to have a lot of people give me suggestions in my work. In "Strength," I edited to add elements of the ocean. This was an example of editing for new ideas. I used a craft lesson in my memoir when I said, "We unloaded, bags in hand..." I also had many repetitive sentences in my memoir and one sentence that's syntax was unclear. With Ms. Turner's helping hand, I corrected these errors with relative ease and efficiency.
In John's writing I learned that if I wrote about important things to me then my writing would turn out better. In Kristy's writing I learned that sometimes contemporary culture could be used expertly to produce powerful writing that moved the reader. In Charlotte's writing I learned that sometimes "zany" concepts could work together to make the piece more memorable.